Norman Fell Movies
A prolific character player whose lived-in face was his fortune, Norman Fell attended Temple University, served in World War II, then took acting lessons at the American Academy of Dramatic Art and the Actors' Studio. Fell entered films in 1959, playing such peripheral roles as the radio technician in Inherit the Wind (1960) until achieving a measure of fame as a detective named Meyer Meyer on TV's 87th Precinct (1961). His meatier film assignments included the role of Mr. McCleery in The Graduate (1967) and a pushy American tourist in If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium (1969). In 1966, Fell was cast as the second lead in the pilot for the Girl From UNCLE series, but "skewed old" and was replaced by Noel Harrison. Fell finally achieved TV stardom as the sex-obsessed landlord Mr. Roper in the popular 1970s sitcom Three's Company, which resulted in a spin-off vehicle for Fell titled The Ropers (both series were based on British TV originals; the English equivalent of The Ropers was George and Mildred). A later video vehicle for Fell, 1982's Teachers Only, was less successful. Norman Fell made his final film appearance in the independent feature The Destiny of Marty Fine (1996). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
A has-been fighter finds himself extorted into becoming a hitman to save himself in this crime drama. The mess began while the opportunistic Marty was trying to convince a mobster to participate in his latest quick money scam. The would-be investor is suddenly shot and killed. Marty sees it all and promises to stay quiet. That's not good enough for Daryl, the mob boss behind the hit and to make sure he forces Daryl to kill another in exchange for his own life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
In this frenetic made-for-television outing, a young boy tries to get into the crazy, competitive spirit of his relatives' annual "Family Olympics," but finds himself more interested in the enigmatic runaway who seems to come out of nowhere. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melissa Joan Hart, Jason Marsden, (more)
- 1994
In the conclusion of the series' two-part Season Five opener, up-and-coming singer Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali) has put her future in the hands of famous record promoter Gordy Berry (Obba Babatunde)--leaving her original manager Will (Will Smith) out in the cold--and, briefly, out of the Banks house. Predictably, Ashley's ego swells to gargantuan dimensions...and equally predictably, the girl is riding for a very painful fall. Former Three's Company regular Norman Fell shows up in his customary role as a grouchy landlord in this episode, which also features guest appearances by Quincy Jones and Little Richard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This anthology is set within a mental ward at a hospital where doctors try to cope with people suffering from a variety of ailments. Among the afflicted are a young man who believes his parents are really from outer space, a murderous television producer, and a prominent fashion photographer obsessed with a motivational record. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In the tradition of Twilight Zone comes this supernatural/sci-fi anthology hosted by Norman Fell. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Having invested in a trendy New York seafood restaurant, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is delighted that her nephew Grady (Michael London) has chosen the restaurant to celebrate his engagement to the lovely Donna Mayberry (Debbie Zipp). Alas, murder casts a pall on the party when the restaurant's Maitre D' is murdered and his body is stuffed in the kitchen freezer. Now Jessica is faced with the double dilemma of recouping her investment and locating the killer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
A dour Magnum (Tom Selleck) retreats to a mountaintop to mull over the recent failures in his life--specifically, an investigation from which he was fired, and the apparent loss of his most treasured friendships. In mid-meditation, Magnum stumbles upon the wreckage of a WW2-vintage airplane. Ultimately he finds himself helplessly pinned under the wreckage, miles from any help. . .or hope. The "flashbacks" in this episode consist of choice clips from such previous Magnum, P.I. entries as "Home From the Sea", "Distant Relative", "Paper War", "Did You See the Sunrise?", "The Man from Marseilles" and "Death and Taxes". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) pays a visit her niece Tracey (Linda Grovenor), an up-and-coming jockey. After winning a race, Tracey has a confrontation with the horse's owner, indicating that she was supposed to have thrown the race. Not long after, the owner turns up murdered--and Tracey is the prime suspect. Naturally, Jessica isn't about to let her niece take the rap for a crime she didn't commit...and besides, she has a pretty good idea "whodunit" (especially since the revelation of the actual culprit follows the most reliable of the Murder She Wrote guidelines!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Dorian Harewood stars as the legendary black athlete in this made-for-TV biography that follows Jesse Owens from his collegiate career, to his pinnacle at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he won four gold medals--much to the dismay of Adolf Hitler and his squad of Aryan super-athletes. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1983
The pilot for an unsold weekly series, Uncommon Valor stresses the courage and resourceful of a team of firefighters in Salt Lake City, Utah. Headed by dauntless batallion chief Tom Riordan (Mitchell Ryam), the unit tries to drench a raging conflagration at County General Hospital (a disaster enhanced by some pretty good special effects). They also have to battle the villain of the piece, discreetly described in the original network press release as a "deranged arsonist." A production of Sunn Classic Pictures, the made-for-TV Uncommon Valor originally aired January 22, 1983, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Veteran comedy specialist Hal Kanter milks every chuckle, chortle and guffaw of Stanley Ralph Ross' teleplay for For the Love of It. The story gets under way when the bad guys surreptitiously plant top-secret documents on a model (Deborah Raffin) and a med student (Jeff Conaway). He's crazy about her, while she can't stand him. Even so, the two protagonists are compelled to join forces when the bad guys start pursuing them. The bulk of the film is a zany, Mack Sennett-style chase, replete with goofy sight gags. In addition, this may be the first made-for-TV movie to tap the comedy potential of Elvis imitators. For the Love of It was originally telecast September 26, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Actress and popular culture icon Marilyn Monroe is the subject of yet another made-for-television movie. This film, which aired as part of the on-going Moviola series, chronicles young Marilyn's (Constance Forslund) relationship in both business and her personal life, with agent Johnny Hyde (Lloyd Bridges) during the early part of her career. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1980
This film profiles the early career of Marilyn Monroe when she develops a relationship with her Hollywood agent, Johnny Hyde. (AKA This Year's Blonde) ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lloyd Bridges, Constance Forslund, (more)
As the third most popular program on network television, Three's Company entered its third season on ABC with the greatest of ease in the fall of 1978. No major changes had been made in the format or premise: Jack (John Ritter) still shared a Santa Monica apartment with Janet (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy (Suzanne Somers), the relationship was still strictly platonic, and the trio's landlord, Mr. Roper (Norman Fell), remained convinced that Jack was gay (this was the story given him by the girls, who didn't want to be kicked out), though both Jack and the audience knew that this was far from the truth. As the season progressed, Jack graduated from cooking school and began work as a caterer, Chrissy landed a new secretarial job in the firm run by female executive J.C. Braddock (Emmaline Henry), and Janet, the "calm, reliable" roommate, occasionally kicked over the traces and acted silly just for the heck of it. Towards the end of the season, Mr. Roper and his wife, Helen (Audra Lindley), sold their apartment building and moved into a ritzy Cheviot Hills townhouse, thereby seguing into their own spin-off series, The Ropers, which premiered on March 13, 1979. (A precedent for this move had been established on Man About the House, the British sitcom upon which Three's Company was based, which had likewise spawned a spin-off called George and Mildred.) At the same time, recurring actor Richard Kline was elevated to regular status in the role of glib car salesman Larry Dallas. Not only did Three's Company retain its popularity, but it actually increased its viewership, moving from the number three to the number two ratings slot by the end of its third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
Having quickly climbed to 11th place during its six-week tryout in the spring of 1977, Three's Company was assured a full-season run by ABC beginning in the fall of that same year. Sensing the series' excellent potential, network boss Fred Silverman moved Three's Company to ABC's powerhouse Tuesday-night lineup, right after the league-leading sitcoms Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. Since audiences had proven their devotion to the new series, there was no need to tinker with its format. The action still took place in the Santa Monica apartment building owned by Stanley and Helen Roper (Norman Fell, Audra Lindley). The Ropers' prize tenants were three roommates, two female, one male: florist-shop clerk Janet (Joyce DeWitt), sexy typist Chrissy (Suzanne Somers), and chef-in-training Jack (John Ritter). The girls were still passing Jack off as gay so that the prudish Mr. Roper would not break their lease, while the aggressively non-gay Jack continued dating hot chicks and trying to make the moves on the curvaceous Chrissy -- who, of course, was too pure-hearted to succumb to Jack's charms. Continuing to make sporadic appearances was Jack's friend, slick-talking car salesman Larry Dallas (Richard Kline), who would not be elevated to full regular status until the following season. New developments during season two included Janet's promotion to manager of the flower shop (with J.J. Barry making his first series appearances as Janet's boss, Mr. Compton), Chrissy's problems with her straight-laced clergyman father (Peter Mark Richman), and Jack's continued education in the culinary arts under the tutelage of cooking-school headmaster Dean Travers (William Pierson). Three's Company ended its second season as the third highest-rated program in America, beaten out only by its Tuesday-night neighbors Happy Days (number one) and Laverne & Shirley (number two). No wonder they called Fred Silverman "The Man With the Golden Gut." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
Based on the British sitcom Man About the House, Three's Company was given a six-week trial run on ABC's Thursday-night schedule in the spring of 1977. In the first episode, aspiring chef Jack Tripper (John Ritter) was found sleeping in the bathtub of the Santa Monica apartment shared by floral-shop employee Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and typist Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers) the morning after the girls' going-away party for their former roommate. Hoping to quickly snatch up a new roomie to share expenses -- and gratified that at last they had found someone who could actually cook -- Jane and Chrissy invited Jack to move in with them -- on a strictly platonic basis, of course. In order to persuade their landlord, Stanley Roper (Norman Fell), that no hanky-panky was going on, the girls convinced Mr. Roper that Jack was gay. This, of course, was the subterfuge to end all subterfuges: not only was Jack aggressively heterosexual, but he never let an opportunity pass to be alone with the voluptuous but innocent Chrissy (though he never succeeded in making her one of his conquests). Roper's wife, Helen (Audra Lindley), discovered early on that Jack was not gay, but she agreed to keep his secret because she liked the girls -- and she liked to one-up her bombastic, overbearing husband. A handful of recurring characters were introduced in season one, notably slick-talking car salesman Larry Dallas (Richard Kline), who would become a regular by the end of season three. Most of the episodes during the series' six-week tryout were adapted from scripts originally written for Man About the House, a derivative practice that would slowly die out over the next several years. After its requisite six showings, Three's Company was replaced, as intended, by ABC's The Tony Randall Show. But during its brief tryout, Three's Company managed to soar to 11th place in the ratings, making its return for a full season in the fall of 1977 a fait accompli. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, (more)
- 1977
This family adventure chronicles the adventures and exploits of George Clark (Denver Pyle), one of the early naturalists. Clark was a friend and peer of John Muir, the man whose writings did so much to encourage the development of the national park system in the U.S. The two men attempt to save Yosemite Valley in California from the lumbermen and managed to get Abraham Lincoln to sign a piece of national legislation which would do just that. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denver Pyle, John Dehner, (more)
- 1976
More ambitious and expensive than ABC's first "novel for television" miniseries QB VII, the eight-episode, 12-hour Rich Man, Poor Man was the one that truly put the genre on the map, its phenomenal success in the ratings making possible the even more spectacular Roots. Adapted from the mammoth novel by Irwin Shaw, the miniseries covers the years from WWII to the 1960s, detailing the vacillating fortunes of the immigrant Jordache brothers. "Rich Man" Rudy Jordache (Peter Strauss) is determined to use his hard-earned education -- and his inherent ruthlessness -- to carve out a business and political empire not unlike that enjoyed by Joseph P. Kennedy and his progeny. "Poor Man" Tom Jordache (Nick Nolte), a quick-fisted hothead, goes an entirely different route, first as a professional boxer, then as a functionary of the evil gangster chieftain Falconetti (William Smith). Naturally, both brothers become entangled in romance along the way, with Julie Prescott (Susan Blakely) ending up as Rudy's benighted spouse. Originally telecast on February 1, 2, 9, 16, 23, and March 1, 8, and 15 in 1976, Rich Man, Poor Man earned 20 Emmy nominations and led to a weekly sequel, Rich Man, Poor Man -- Book 2, in the fall of 1976 (this version necessitated a title change for the original, which was rebroadcast as Rich Man, Poor Man -- Book 1 in the spring of 1977). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Strauss, Nick Nolte, (more)
- 1976
In the conclusion of Streets of San Francisco's two-part Season Five opener, a band of urban revolutionaries continue to hold an entire jury hostage on a ship, threatening to kill them one by one unless the group's leaders are released from prison. The tension mounts as the first hostage is murdered and homicide inspector Steve Keller (Michael Douglas, in his final series appearance) is gunned down on the eve of his retirement from the force. Keller's partner Mike Stone (Karl Malden) must rely upon the daring and resourcefulness of SFPD newcomer Dan Robbins (Richard Hatch) to rescue the terrified prisoners. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
In this thriller, an amnesiac woman hires a young detective to investigate the two men who seem to be trying to kill her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1976
The two-part opener of Streets of San Francisco's fifth and final season marks a major transition, as SFPD homicide detective Mike Stone (Karl Malden) loses his longtime partner Steve Keller (Michael Douglas) and gains a new one, athletic young inspector Dan Robbins (Richard Hatch). But before Keller can leave the force to launch a teaching career, he and Stone are faced with the daunting task of rescuing a busload of jurors who have been kidnapped by a "family" of dangerously misguided revolutionaries, who demand the release of their imprisoned cohorts. This two-parter is clearly inspired by the Patty Hearst kidnapping, with former Partridge Family regular Susan Dey delivering a shockingly powerful performance. As a publicity ploy, the season opener features fourteen guest stars, including Marion Ross (then appearing regularly on Happy Days, Barry Sullivan, Dick Van Patten, Norman Fell and Doris Roberts--not to mention such stars-to-be as Anthony Geary and Ron Glass. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In this made-for-TV thriller, a vacation for two men turns deadly when their wives are kidnapped by several escaped convicts. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
In the wake of the 45-million-dollar gross of the original Airport (1970), Universal was all but required by an act of Congress to produce Airport '75. Charlton Heston heads the all-star cast as Alan Murdock, the former test pilot who must keep a disabled 747 from crashing in flames. The crisis begins when a businessman (Dana Andrews), flying his small private plane, suffers a fatal heart attack and the plane smashes into the cockpit of the 747. Following Murdock's radioed instructions, stewardess Nancy Pryor (Karen Black) takes over the controls. The special-guest passenger lineup includes Helen Reddy as a singing nun (a character wickedly satirized in the 1980 parody Airplane!), Myrna Loy as an alcoholic, and Sid Caesar as a garrulous passenger. While Airport '75 yielded only 25 million dollars at the box office, the franchise continued, spawning Airport '77 a few years later and Airport '79 two years after that. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Karen Black, (more)
- 1974
James L. Brooks' Thursday's Game is a witty made-for-television comedy about two businessmen (Bob Newhart and Gene Wilder) who meet every Thursday night to play poker and discuss their professional and personal problems. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
